Parliament has passed the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020 with Rajya Sabha approving it today amid the uproar by the opposition. The House also negated the oppositions’ amendments to send the Bills to the Select Committee. The Minister said, these Bills give the freedom to the farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country as per the price determined between the seller and buyers. He said, these Bills will ensure better prices for the farmers’ produce. He refuted the opposition’s claim that the Bills are related to Minimum Support Price clarifying that MSP will be continued as per the earlier practice. The two Bills aim at increasing the availability of buyers for farmers’ produce by allowing them to trade freely without any license or stock limit resulting in better prices for their produce. They will replace two ordinances promulgated by the Central Government in June this year. The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill allows intra-state and inter-state trade of farmers’ produce beyond the physical premises of APMC markets. As per the Bill, State governments are prohibited from levying any market fee, cess or levy outside APMC areas. Farmers (Empowerment and Protection)
Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill creates a framework for contract farming through an agreement between a farmer and a buyer prior to the production of any farm produce.
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